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By Irfan Shariff
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Yuti Purohit
Yuti Purohit of Bellevue is a renaissance teen. The 17-year-old is both an artist and scientist who can communicate clearly and effectively. Her recent project, “Enhancing cloud seeding efficiency,” was showcased at the International Science and Engineering Fair. She’s garnered awards and international speaking engagements for it.
“Cloud seeding encourages rain,” she described. “It works by sending particles and dispersing them into clouds.” For the last year, the senior at Interlake High School has been independently researching cloud seeding and using AI to model atmospheric conditions.
As a native of the mostly-desert region of Rajasthan, India, she’s “interested in why there is rainfall in one place and not another,” and the intersection of environmental and computer sciences.
“I developed multimodal deep learning models to modify cloud condensation nuclei and measure their effectiveness.” She believes her AI models, which leverage satellite data, revealed gaps in prior methods.
According to Professor Bart Geerts at the University of Wyoming’s Department of Atmospheric Sciences, “The idea of cloud seeding goes back many decades…but its impact is understood to be relatively small.” He said that federal funding stopped in the 1980s, but several privately-funded companies still see value in it.
“I didn’t expect her to continue with this but she’s done quite a bit of work,” said Geerts, who was contacted by Yuti last year.
“Yuti has demonstrated curiosity and a strong commitment to STEM from an early age,” said Yash Purohit, Yuti’s father. “Her interest became evident during elementary school through participation in multiple science projects.”
Yuti moved to the U.S. with her parents when she was 3. She has a younger sister.
Before starting high school, she already completed certifications in machine learning and data science, and uses these tools to quantify the impact of environmental issues, she said. “I tend to use AI as a tool for discovery. I’m interested in the tool itself and its applications.”
Yuti is also the president of AI4Teens, a nonprofit she founded in 2023, where she leads 60-plus chapters of her peers to coach them in the opportunities provided by AI for their interests.
“When I first learned about cloud seeding, it felt inaccessible…I built this at home,” she said. To her peers, she recommends dreaming big and having aspirations. “Having these seemingly large goals is how we make change in the world.”
When she’s not researching weather modification or AI modeling, she practices the traditional Indian art of Madhubani painting. She’s been recognized for this as well.
“I have a great understanding of where I came from and I express this through painting,” she said. “I use it to calm down.”
Yuti’s impact is just beginning as she applies to colleges for computer science. “I’m keeping a balance and seeing where my work takes me,” she said.
“Her career is still very early. She’s just beginning,” said Geerts. “My advice in general is to keep her options open.”
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